Age 54 used to be the end of the line as far as advertisers were concerned. Anyone at that point in life was thought to be not worth their time.

Now the news is worse when it comes to radio in L.A., you could be washed up by your 40s.

Fewer commercial dollars are being spent on the long popular 25 to 54 demographic and more are going to a younger crowd one that includes 18-to-24 year olds in particular.

“Eighteen to 24-year-olds are just beginning to develop their lives and their spending habits,” said Mary Beth Garber, president of the Southern California Broadcasters Association. Advertisers hope to “grab ’em young and train ’em,” she said.

A recently released study by Interep National Radio Sales Inc. of the top 25 radio markets in the nation showed that L.A. ranked second to last in spending for the 25-to-54 demographic last year, coming in behind Miami. Interep helps more than 2,000 radio stations nationwide sell their ad time.

Listener age group classifications are an important factor in deciding where to allocate radio ad dollars. “L.A. tends to be a younger skewing market, especially with the large Hispanic population, which is also younger skewing,” said Interep spokeswoman Michele Skettino.

Added Garber: “What (the Latino) population has done is youthened L.A. A greater share of L.A. is now 18 to 34 than it was 15 years ago.”

Data from the 2000 U.S. Census showed the number of Hispanics in Los Angeles has grown to account for 46.5 percent of the area’s population. Meanwhile, the median age has fallen to 31.6, far younger than the national median of 35.3.

Management takes notice

The shift in the local ad market has not escaped the attention of Roy Laughlin, co-manager of eight L.A. radio stations owned by media giant Clear Channel Communications Inc.

“The Generation Y, Generation X and the Baby Boom Generation are all interested in youth-oriented things so you’ve got three generations out there that are interested in a younger mindset,” he said.”

Laughlin credited the changes in local ad spending to an increased realization among retailers that a younger demographic is “the right demographic for Southern California.”

Radio stations that target younger demographics or the area’s growing Latino population have been capturing the highest ratings in the L.A. market.

The latest Arbitron numbers placed alternative rock station KROQ-FM (106.7) at No. 1, with Spanish-language KSCA-FM (101.9) coming in a close second. Rounding out the top 5 were the dance and R & B; oriented KPWR-FM (105.9), pop station KIIS-FM (102.7) and KLVE-FM (107.5), a Spanish-language adult contemporary station.

KROQ’s ascent to the top marked the first time since 1995 that an English-language station has been able to take the No. 1 spot from a Spanish station in the L.A. market. But officials at the alternative rock station attributed the rise in part to a strong performance among Latinos, who make up between 36 to 40 percent of the station’s audience.

The best place to reach younger consumers is on the radio, Garber said.

“The younger the person, the more likely they are to spend more time with the radio than any other medium,” she said. “If you want to talk to an 18 to 34-year-old, particularly in Los Angeles, you have to start with radio.”

As senior vice president and general manager of KPWR and country-music station KZLA-FM (93.9), Val Maki has realized how big a part Latinos play in bringing in ad dollars to L.A. stations.

KPWR, which targets Latinos and listeners 18 to 34, has seen consistently higher ratings and greater ad revenues than KZLA, which seeks out a 25 to 54-year old audience.

KPWR’s Latino audience, Maki said, plays a huge role in attracting advertisers “because so many people are targeting Latinos now, or at least want to make sure they have that group represented in their media mix.”

Still room for older listeners

Though younger people are making up an increasingly larger part of the area’s population, radio stations that target older demographics aren’t doomed.

“There’re still a huge number of advertisers that want to reach that 25-to-54 target,” said Laughlin, who oversees a mix of stations ranging from KIIS to the easy-listening KOST-FM (103.5) to talk station KFI-AM (640). “There are much more (ad) dollars than holes to put those dollars into.”

Where those dollars are spent also depends on what product a given advertiser is trying to sell. “If you’re trying to sell a Lincoln, an 18-year-old is not likely to buy that,” Garber said.